Great Silence Decorative Dahlia - October 2026

One of the new (to me) dahlias that I grew this year was Great Silence Decorative Dahlia.  I grew them from tubers that I bought from Longfield Gardens.  After starting them indoors in nursery pots, I planted them out in two different spots:  IB2DWs (down closer to the sidewalk) and in the back of the Island Bed in the front yard.  

Those locations seem to have determined the success of the plants.  With the Great Silence in the Island Bed doing much better, being more productive and all-around happier. 

But, before I show the photos of the plants, let's look at the blooms.  

Here, below, is a photo of a Great Silence Decorative Dahlia (on the left) next to my first dahlia love:  Milena Fleur (on the right).   They're similar.  But, different.

Great Silence Decorative Dahlia on the left.  Milena Fleur Formal Decorative Dahlia on the right.

Great Silence has a loose-r, less-focused center and more broadly-exposed petals surrounding that center.  The colors are pink, peach and gold.  Milena Fleur share similar pink, but are more blended in colors with a more-yellow center.  

Milena Fleur is listed as a "formal decorative", so perhaps that's the difference?  

Now, back to the plants and their location. 

I've described IB2DWs as (somewhat) hard-to-grow.  Especially down by the sidewalk and close the driveway.  A mixture of gravel (left-over from the driveway construction), the bed being planted ON TOP OF a large drywell (mandated by the Village) and lack of organic material makes the bed down the driveway a challenge.  

Over the years, I've converted the area from turf grass to a garden bed.  Using my lazy method of cardboard and municipal biosolids.  In Spring 2024, the full IB2DWs bed received its first real mulch cap.  

I planted the dahlias in a mix of compost and biosolids, but that is only a small hole in the ground.  Last month, I dumped some compost around them from our tumbler.  But...that's only bucket-fulls.  Every little bit of organic material helps, right?

The Great Silence dahlia that is planted IB2DWs is doing the BEST of all of the dahlias over there.  But, it isn't thriving.  It was hit with some spider mites.  And, I probably waited too long to deal with them.  So, it was set back.  But, it has recovered.  Here, below, is the plant as it sits right now, in early October:

Great Silence Decorative Dahlia

Compare it with the very same Great Silence dahlia plant that is in the back of the front yard Island Bed:

Great Silence Decorative Dahlia

Much fuller.  More bush-like.  And, dozens of stems.  Long stems.  This plant might be putting off the longest stems of any dahlia that I'm growing.  

Last year, in mid-October, I posted about the same thing with the Wizard of Oz dahlias.  Island bed = "popping off".  IB2DWs petering-out in October.  

Seems like something I can do to help is to continue to invest in the soil IB2DWs.  This winter might warrant a couple of trips to the mulch pit to pick up loads of biosolids.  And composted manure.  And...maybe some wood chips to top it off.